AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP in New York City connects adults aged 55 and over with meaningful volunteer opportunities in their communities that match their skills, interests, and availability. Volunteers serve in partner organizations throughout the five boroughs including soup kitchens and food pantries, hospitals and health care facilities, educational settings, community-based organizations, cultural institutions, and more.

AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP in New York City connects adults aged 55 and over with meaningful volunteer opportunities in their communities that match their skills, interests, and availability. Volunteers serve in partner organizations throughout the five boroughs including soup kitchens and food pantries, hospitals and health care facilities, educational settings, community-based organizations, cultural institutions, and more. They prepare, package, and deliver meals; tutor and mentor youth; counsel people on public benefits, student loan debt, and small business operations; provide companionship to homebound and isolated individuals; and much more! Some serve in person, while others serve remotely. 

A Tradition of Program Innovation and Volunteer Mobilization

In 1966, the Community Service Society of New York launched a pilot project in Staten Island involving a group of twenty-three older adults in service to their communities, known as Project SERVE. The project demonstrated the immense value of older adult volunteers and served as a model for the national Retired and Senior Volunteer Program adopted in 1970 and rebranded as AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP in 2020.

Since then, CSS has led the effort to engage older adults in service to New York City through AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP. During this time, we have engaged tens of thousands of individuals in meaningful volunteer opportunities, harnessing their time, talents, and lifetime of experience to make the greatest impact on community needs in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island.  

The strength of our program is three-fold:

- We provide life-changing opportunities for volunteers ages 55 and over.

- We help meet the critical needs of communities by mobilizing tens of thousands of hours of volunteer service.

- We strengthen public and nonprofit agencies by matching skilled volunteers with vital programs and services.

Today, we continue to develop innovative new volunteer initiatives, including:

The Financial Advocacy Program, which boosts the economic security of low-income New Yorkers through public benefits counseling and financial education.  

Youth Mentoring, programs which prepare youth and their families for success in school, on the job, and in the community.

For more information on our programs and services, contact [email protected].

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